After losing nearly $1 million on April’s Jay-Z concert, student leaders say they hope to win back the campus’s respect by collaborating with UApresents to organize, but not fund, an upcoming concert featuring The Fray.
Ticket sales for the concert have already covered the cost of the performers themselves, a dramatic improvement compared to April’s loss. As of Wednesday, 1,450 tickets have been sold. The cost of the concert is $40,000, “”which is very reasonable for such a popular group,”” said UApresents Director of Marketing Jo Alenson.
Unlike with Jay-Z, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona is not putting one penny toward the event, which is instead being funded exclusively by UApresents. Instead, the group has handled most of the public relations and advertising work for the concert.
Caleb Wilson, media arts sophomore and special events coordinator for ASUA, said he is putting forth a strong effort to make sure things run smoothly for this event, which he described as an “”educational opportunity”” for his team.
“”We are still taking it to the next level and practicing as if it was our own show,”” he said.
Working in tandem with UApresents has been a good way for ASUA planners to relieve some of the pressure of organizing a concert, Wilson said.
“”I expected conflicts of interest, but it is actually all working out very well,”” he said. “”If we had a solo show, liability and responsibility would be all our own, but now it is not.””
As the group gains experience with public relations — which has been the main aspect of ASUA’s involvement in the concert — it will be better prepared for future events and more able to avoid future catastrophes, Wilson said.
“”We have to accept what happened to the ASUA reputation,”” he said.
UApresents is also excited about pairing up with “”such an important group on this campus,”” Alenson said.
“”We felt badly about last year and the fact that having another event this year was unlikely because of the budget,”” she said. “”UApresents has always wanted to work with this particular student group in the past, and now they could not be happier.””
